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Learning to Read with Letter Cards Some of my biggest challenges as a homeschooling mom have involved reading. My youngest child has had an especially difficult time learning to read, so much so that I had to find someone else who could help. That’s when I learned about “letter cards”. I must admit, I don’t know much about teaching reading. My oldest child just

I recently had the special privilege of interviewing international storyteller Jim Weiss. I first heard of Jim in the late 90s before my oldest officially started school. “We love these stories,” my friend told me. “You have to hear them, too!” I was so glad I took her advice! Twenty-five years ago, Jim and his wife Randy formed Greathall Productions. They have since produced

Learning Through the Junior Ranger Program Recently, we visited the Carl Sandburg House, where author and poet Carl Sandburg lived with his family during the last 20 years of his life. When he passed away, his wife Lilian wanted to preserve his legacy; his home became part of a national park. Now when visitors tour the home, kids (of all ages) can also join

Choosing homeschool curriculum for your student can be quite a challenge, one you might not feel ready for. When we first began homeschooling twelve years ago, there weren’t nearly as many curricula available as there are today. A few publishers offered complete packages that covered every subject; other publishers offered a subject or two. But because we were on such a limited budget, I never

For the past five years, we’ve been a part of a smaller homeschooling co-op. It’s actually the third co-op we’ve joined, and it’s the one we’ve been able to stick with. But not all homeschoolers are part of a co-op, and that’s okay too. Homeschooling Co-op #1 We joined our first co-op when my oldest was just in third grade and my youngest was

We’re about to start our thirteenth year of homeschooling with two in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary. And while it would be nice to take all the credit as their primary educator, I have to confess – I have had lots of help with homeschooling. Play Groups and Field Trips Even when my children we small, help was there.

We’ve been studying different sea creatures lately, and another amazing animal we’ve been learning about are seahorses. Who knew these tiny animals were so incredibly fascinating? There was so much to learn, in fact, that we developed a seahorse unit study. About Seahorses Here are just a few of the interesting facts about seahorses. The largest seahorse (the Pot-bellied Seahorse) is just over a

If you have a homeschooler teen,chances are you are thinking ahead about “graduation”. If you are, you are in luck. Nowadays, 26 states currently offer a high school exit exam. The exit exam varies from state to state in content; each state also has individual do-over requirements for those students who do not pass. As a homeschooler, this makes a difference since we do

A friend has recently jumped on the homeschooling bandwagon on the suspicion that her 5 year old daughter is gifted. Since her daughter is still so young, I was curious how parents determine that their child is indeed gifted. Gifted children need to be challenged every day to be happy and require special consideration. The U.S. Office of Gifted and Talented (www.bcps.org) provide guidance